Organic semiconductors can be processed at relatively low temperatures, and are thus compatible with temperature sensitive substrates such as, for example, plastic substrates. Organic electronic devices (for example, organic thin film transistors (TFTs)) have therefore gained attention as a technology with the potential to enable a variety of applications centered around lightweight, flexible, low-cost electronics fabricated on plastic substrates.
The performance of organic TFTs, however, is typically inferior to that of inorganic TFTs such as, for example, silicon-based TFTs. In addition, organic semiconductors can be degraded when they are exposed to certain environments (for example, solvents during solution processing). Some organic semiconductor materials can even be unstable in normal atmospheric conditions.
Nanoparticles of inorganic semiconducting materials can be delivered using organic solvents, and once they are sintered, they are typically impervious to solvents. Additional TFT layers can therefore be solution processed on top of the sintered inorganic layer.